Scary clowns have been spotted in South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New York and most recently, Chicago.

A Chicago Heights school district added extra security to all District 170 schools after receiving threats on Facebook from a “clown gang,” according to WGN.

With the fear of clowns going viral, the worst thing for government officials to do is to legitimize this panic and waste resources protecting people from obvious trolls. What may have started as a cheap marketing ploy for a film featuring a Green Bay, Wisc.-area clown named Gags has inspired an overreaction by state and city officials across the country. Rather than encouraging costumed pranksters by fearmongering, Thompson and other elected officials should focus on the important issues facing Chicago – issues such as pension crises, a looming teachers strike and a declining population – and stop clowning around.